I am a passionate eBay reseller. It all began with a passion for entrepreneurship and an obsession with colored glass.

In other words, I’ve always been a collector with a mind toward selling: setting up lemonade stands and peddling anything I thought would make money around the neighborhood, from pieces of broken colored glass to scenic pictures I had torn from outdated calendars –– wheeling around my little wagon and actually making a few pennies.

But as is the case with so many, my childhood passions didn’t’ take root in my adult life –– and I ended up at the typical 9-5. I was stuck there –– for years.

Then, 3 years ago, I made a decision to alter the course of my life. I opened up an antique booth in one of the many antique malls in my area –– and, while working my day job, I became a small-time entrepreneur.

But the days were long and hard. After 8 hours as a medical transcriptionist, I transitioned to moving furniture and goods to the booth on weekends and evenings. And little was going to change.

I was making extra cash, but not enough to turn my side project into a full-time focus.

I was running myself ragged trying to work full-time and keep up my booth –– and doing an insane amount of research, too, to keep sales up. That’s when I ran across hundreds of articles about online selling –– and seriously began to consider it.

I had no online experience. I didn’t know much about the selling world. But I did know one thing: I wanted to be an entrepreneur, and a booth at an antique mall wasn’t going to cut it.

So, I set up an eBay shop.

Still working my 9-5 job, I phased out my antique booth inventory –– which went up for sale in my eBay store. After a short few months, I was making enough money to retire early from my day job and concentrate my efforts solely on eBay.

Today, I am retired technically –– but am a profitable eBay seller. I have finally turned my obsession with collection into an online store –– using eBay as my catalyst and continuing to grow month over month.

For others out there looking to start an online store, but with little online selling experience, I recommend eBay as your starting point.

You don’t need any current inventory. You don’t need any design or online selling skills. What you need is passion, a willingness to learn and a few tried-and-true tips.

Here’s how you get started selling on eBay for complete online selling beginners.

Who is Selling on eBay For?

New sellers are always asking, “What sells on eBay?”

A more important consideration should be, “What should I sell on eBay?”

Veteran sellers are always trying to find the best selling products. After all, many of them –– like you may soon be doing –– started their eBay journey by selling things around the house, not really giving much thought as to what will bring the most profit.

While that might be a good way to get your feet wet, that isn’t what will turn your eBay store into a real business.

So how do you turn your desire into dollars?

It is important to explore your motivation.

There are many reasons people turn to eBay as a source of income. While some dabble in selling just to get rid of clutter or to make a little extra cash, others may actively pursue eBay as a primary source of income.

Circumstances and motivations differ greatly from individual to individual. If you’ve lost your job or been hit with unforeseen expenses, your motivation and strategy will be much different than that of an upcoming entrepreneur.

Overall, there are 2 main motivations and circumstances for selling on eBay:

You may be interested in only pursuing eBay as a hobby and are content to make a few bucks here and there or as a means to supplement your income part-time while remaining in a full-time career that you love.

Or maybe your entrepreneurial spirit is calling you to break free of the 9-5 scene of working for someone else. Perhaps you are fortunate enough to be able to sell on eBay full-time but not sure what step to take next.

In any case, eBay affords you the opportunity to realize your dreams –– just how far you take your dream is up to you.

The 2 Perspectives to Selling on eBay

There is the entrepreneur who is motivated by making money in a clinical sense, who is content drop-shipping or selling products purchased wholesale.

While this is rewarding, there is another type of entrepreneur who loves the thrill of hunting for treasures to resell.

Both perspectives are valid methods for a profitable and fulfilling enterprise. Whichever attitude you happen to have, the same basic principles for success apply.

Consumers shop on their own time, in their preferred channels and compare across stores and prices. Here’s everything you need to know from demographic shopping habits to how folks in the cities versus rural areas differ.

What Sells on eBay

Many things sell on eBay –– from vintage pencils to the latest Apple product.

Collectors are more than willing to pay a pretty penny for what is rare and/or desirable and meaningful to them. The latest fashion and technical trends will always be big sellers.

So, where do we start?

I sell a variety of items in my eBay store, but there are those who specialize in a niche and do quite well. That is a choice for you to make.

I personally think it is fun, interesting and more profitable to sell a variety of things. If you limit your inventory, you will need to sell in quantities that make it a worthwhile enterprise.

There is not a simple “one size fits all” answer to the question of what to sell, but we will explore the many factors to consider so you will know where to start.

Your financial situation

If you’re strapped for cash, you may not be in a position to just go out to buy a huge inventory for resell. You may need to start slow and see what resources you already have, such as what you have around the house to sell. Or, just ask friends and relatives if they have unwanted clothes or items that they want to get rid of.

Even with limited resources and a slow start, if you are willing to think outside the box and mentally position yourself for success, you can succeed.

Items to sell on eBay with little to no investment:

Clothes

Household goods

Steve Madden Steve Steve Viienna Madden Madden Viienna Collectibles

Electronics

Items to sell on eBay with a little investment:

On the other hand, maybe you have money to invest and you are ready to make your mark selling on eBay, and you just want to know what you can buy to make the most money.

Again, this is not one size fits all.

I am assuming, if you are reading this, that you are pursuing eBay as a profitable venture long-term, not just a way to purge your closet. With that premise and being totally foreign to the world of reselling, my advice is to first search out valuable (good-selling) products connected to your interests or area of expertise.

Madden Steve Madden Viienna Viienna Steve Madden Steve Well, if you are passionate about or just knowledgeable about a particular area of interest, this could serve you well and launch your eBay business. We’ll dive into why that is here in a bit.

Profit Margins

The more products you have available to sell, the more you will sell, but you will need to decide how much profit margin (money invested on an item versus how much you will pocket after fees) will suit your needs and goals.

A successful profit margin is an individual determination that only you can make for yourself. Inevitably, you will become pickier with your purchases and upgrade strategically, investing more money for greater profit margins.

How you strategize will be determined by your own circumstances and goals. As you become more experienced with brands and profit-making products, you will evolve into a more savvy and discriminate reseller.

How do you become adept at finding a money-maker when you see it? By broadening your knowledge –– and that means RESEARCH and LEARN.

If you have no interest in learning about what sells in the marketplace, the eBay lifestyle may not be the right fit for you. What sells fabulously this year may not next year.

By investing your time researching, you will lessen the risk of walking past a gold mine when you are out sourcing for items to sell on eBay, and you will know what to avoid. Be passionate and open to learning.

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The Best eBay Research Tool for Your Highest Margins

The type of items you sell is as unique as there are individuals selling online.

To get an idea of what types of products are selling, try the eBay research tool I have created: ProductGenie. The tool has a 7-day free trial and is only $8/month after that.

ProductGenie gives you an accurate picture of the brands and types of items that are selling on eBay, culled from eBay’s sold items in each category over a relatively short period of time so you can see trends as well as see what is selling now.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use the tool for eBay product research.

After logging in to ProductGenie you will be presented with a straightforward left navigation which contains 4 different features:

Most Recent Sales

Top Brands

Fastest Selling

Keyword Research

Keyword Research

Let’s start with Keyword Research to first show you how to find products to sell even if you have no idea where to start.

This feature has a very simple search form. Just type in a product niche you somewhat like or are passionate about.

Let’s say, for example, you really enjoying playing and watching tennis. You know a decent enough amount of information about the sport in general and a little about the value of some tennis racquets. Start off searching for a keyword phrase at the highest level to see what type of products are in demand for your product niche –– in this case, tennis.

Go to the Keyword Research page by clicking on the left navigation tab named Keyword Research.

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Here’s a step-by-step walk-through.

Once the screen pulls up you will be presented with an input field that asks you to ‘Enter Keyword Phrase.’

Enter the word ‘tennis’ into the input field (without the quotes) and click the green SEARCH button.

The search will return a list of the top 25 results in a table with 3 columns: Related Keywords, Monthly Search Volume and Cost per Click (CPC).

The Related Keywords are all keywords that relate to your search term ‘tennis.’

The first thing you will want to do is to look for something I refer to as ‘buying keywords’ or products people would buy related to a niche. In this example, we have a list of 25 keywords that relate to the search phrase ‘tennis’. The buying keywords I see in the list below are ‘tennis shoes,’ ‘tennis racquet,’ ‘nike tennis shoes,’ ‘tennis ball.’

Now you can take these buying terms and enter each, one at a time, into the keyword research tool to get more related keywords.

This is not a list of keywords in eBay, but rather an exhaustive list of popular keyword phrases searched on Google. Monthly search volume is an estimate of how many times a keyword phrase was searched for in Google each month. The cost per click is also a fairly accurate estimate of what advertisers pay for a click in Google Advertising for the keyword.

Madden Steve Madden Steve Steve Madden Viienna Viienna If a keyword phrase has a high CPC, that means it is making someone money, hence the high competition cost.

Here is the list returned from the Keyword Search for ‘tennis’:

Continue this process until you have all the ‘buying keyword phrases’ you want related to the desired product niche you have chosen. This is a great way to find potential new products to sell or to find initial products to sell when you are first starting out on eBay.

Pro Tip

Not only will the Keyword Research feature help you find products to sell, but it can also help you discover new ‘keywords’ to put in your eBay product title and/or description.

If you find a couple of very popular keywords that relate to the item you are going to sell, then that means more users may find your product if you include that extra keyword phrase in your item somewhere.

Be sure to use relevant keywords. Don’t try and include a keyword just because they happen to be popular. This may actually hurt your sales by drowning out the main product information.

Most Recent Sales

The Most Recent Sales tab will show you what is currently selling in each eBay category over the past 4 weeks (approximately).

To get the most recently sold items, simply click the SHOW PRODUCTS green button.

In this case, I want to continue with the ‘tennis’ theme. Here’s a step-by-step.

For the category, select ‘Sporting Goods’ and type ‘tennis’ into the Enter Keyword Phrase field. This is shown in Picture 1 below. The Category and Location are the only required fields, but this example shows you how to continue research for products based on a specific niche or keyword.

Click the SHOW PRODUCTS button and the search returns 5 columns of data: Item, Quantity Sold (based on snapshot of data returned), Price, Listing Type and Sold Date. This is shown in Picture 2 below.

Picture 1: Most Recent Sales form

Picture 2: Most Recent Sales results

In the picture above, you can see that the search results show the most recently sold items that have the word ‘tennis’ in the title.

This shows what people are buying on eBay over the past few weeks and will give you an idea of products you can sell yourself.

You can also do a general category search in the ProductGenie eBay research tool just to see what is selling in each eBay category over the past few weeks.

Simply go to the Most Recent Sales tab, Select Category and click the SHOW PRODUCTS green button.

This is a great way to get product ideas even when you don’t know what to search for.

Fastest Selling Products

This feature shows which products sell the fastest. This is done by taking the snapshot of each day’s data and calculating which products are sold the fastest based on when they were listed to the sold date.

The results show 3 columns: Product, Speed of Sale (from the time it was listed to when it sold), Listing Type (auction, fixed price, etc).

Top Brands on eBay

This feature lets you see the top selling brands over a period of a few weeks.

Over time the Top Brands change. You can stay ahead of of the competition here by viewing the top selling eBay brands in each category for actual sold items.

Studying all of this information will give you a snapshot view and understanding of what to sell on eBay best –– as well as help you stay ahead of the competition for upcoming trending products.

You can, of course, jockey between this research tool and eBay as you go further in depth.

Pro Tip

Remember to compare the actual selling price of any one product. It is this price that dictates the market and not asking prices.

Resellers new to eBay often begin with what they have available in their homes –– items they no longer need or want.

Cleaning out your closets, kitchen cabinets, attics and garages can uncover stuff that someone else thinks is amazing and is willing to pay for. Free stuff is the best, don’t you think? Clear profit! So don’t be afraid to ask your family, friends and neighbors for things they want to get rid of.

Products in your area (that no one else has)

Another factor to consider is the availability of particular products in your area of the country. Allow that to serve you well.

You might live in an area of the country where clothes are manufactured or distributed, thereby making those types of items plentiful throughout thrift shops and the like.

I live in a military town where related items are easily found.

College towns likewise will offer items that are commonplace there but will be coveted by buyers without that access. Take advantage of what is around you if there is a market for what you have readily available.

Dropshipping or Wholesale Items

The type of products you are interested in selling will determine how you obtain them.

For example, if you want to sell used tennis racquets, then you may have to get them from places such as Craigslist or apps such as Letgo, 5miles, etc.

You may be able to find a manufacturer that will allow you to sell their product new, but you will need to have a business, as they cannot sell directly to individuals for wholesale/dropship prices.

For my one of my dropshipping businesses I sell futons, and I have partnered with a few dropship-friendly manufacturers. I set up an LLC business just for that.

Dropshipping and buying wholesale are a great way to get products to sell, but there is a lot more involved than reselling used goods. More manufacturers than you would think are willing to work with small companies that dropship their products.

A little note about name brands

Not all brands are created equal, and it might surprise you that not all widely known brands sell for the most profit. There are recognizable brands of clothing that do sell consistently, but not for the kind of money you would expect.

The more you study, the more you will know what sells well and what doesn’t. Also, cycles come and go where hot items become so saturated on the selling platforms that they no longer bring top dollar.

As you move through this adventure, you will begin to learn what consistently sells for you. When something sells fast for me, I will look for that item again and again.

5 Rookie Mistakes to Avoid

Steve Viienna Steve Viienna Madden Madden Steve Madden Even the best of us make mistakes, so don’t expect perfection, and don’t beat yourself up if and when mistakes happen.

Experience is the greatest teacher, but I have devised a list of potential rookie mistakes to avoid –– just so you’ll be prepared!

Buying too much product and getting overwhelmed.

A reseller’s greatest pleasure is shopping for treasures, and while it is tempting to go out and buy up a load of merchandise for resell, remember that the listing process takes time and effort too.

It is important to avoid becoming overwhelmed. After the fun part of shopping and sourcing is behind you, now you’ve got to actually prepare your item, take pictures, research the value if you haven’t already, come up with the best title and description, determine the best shipping method, log its location for retrieval and store your item.

Seems a bit daunting when you have piles of items to process. Of course, there is a learning curve, and with experience you come to know what sells for you and what doesn’t.

It’s just that in the beginning, it is easy to get pulled into the treasure hunting aspect. Although a gung-ho attitude is fine, I would suggest you moderate your impulse to go out and source above your capacity to follow through to completion to avoid early burn-out.

Listening to naysayers.

If your family and friends don’t understand or support you in this venture, get connected with positive, like-minded people. With social media today, it is easy to connect with other eBay sellers in your community or even in an online community who will lift you up and who you might be able to network with by exchanging ideas and expertise.

Beware of social media drama, however. Wasting time listening to negativism, complaints, conspiracy theories and getting sucked into a victim mentality is to be avoided.

Not having the proper supplies.

Gather the necessary supplies to aid you with your listings. To create great listings, you will need some or all of the following supplies:

Camera or phone with camera

Cheap white and black poster boards or professional backdrops to use for backgrounds in pictures

A well-lit area in which to take pictures (preferably daylight or good supplemental lighting)

Shipping boxes

Poly mailers or envelopes (size dependent on items)

Shipping tape

Scissors

Notebook or computer spreadsheet.

If you sell clothes, you will need measuring tape for measurements.

If you sell breakables, you will need bubble wrap and/or other protective fillers.

Another must-have item if you plan to grow your business is a scale to weigh your packages so that you can charge the correct shipping fee. If you are not planning to go full throttle, you will have to be content with paying full post office prices and having them weighed.

Good habits make for good results. Make goals that are attainable and sustainable.

Of course, you will need to pace yourself and create a schedule that is feasible to avoid burn-out or paralysis. If you have lost your job or if you have just retired from a job it is especially important to set up a schedule. It is easy to fall into bad habits without structure.

When you are not in the workforce any longer for whatever reason, it is not uncommon to fall into a stagnant or even depressed state, even when the day job stressors are eliminated, or maybe because the stressors are gone.

This newfound time may cause an empty void –– one that must be filled with new goals, and, of course, a workable routine.

Not being patient with yourself.

Don’t compare yourself with other sellers, but be willing to learn from others. What makes sense for one eBayer may not work for you. What type of business model you want to have is an individual decision. You will grow your business to the scale for which you set your sights –– but be patient, as it takes time.

16 Tips to Get Started Right, Right Now

Sourcing, listing, shipping, customer service and keeping up with inventory have their own challenges.

Here are a few tips:

Off load what doesn’t sell: It is likely that at some point in time, you will come across an item that just won’t sell. It happens! While some things are expected to stay in your inventory for a lengthy time, such as a rare, uncommon, or specialty items waiting for the right customer, some others just need to be taken down and donated or sold in a yard sale. Donations can be used as tax credits.

Optimize your listing for search: Make sure you title your listing so that potential buyers can find what they are looking for. Do not use superfluous adjectives (such as beautiful), commas, dashes or other punctuation that is not going to be searched for. Try to use all spaces allowed by eBay in your title using only relevant search terms to maximize your chances of being found by anyone searching for your particular item.

Check your spelling: Listings that have misspelled search terms simply may not be found. Item descriptions should look professional and enticing –– so watch for misspellings within your listing as well.

Fill in as many Item Specifics as you can: Potential customers looking for specific items will be routed to your listings with those fields completed. Think of these like long-tail keywords on Google.

Steve Madden Steve Madden Madden Steve Viienna Viienna Listings must include good photos: If you want your listings to stand out from the rest, great pictures are essential. Having good lighting will show off your item, but another important aspect is capturing the subject matter without background distractions (such as the bathroom toilet or table clutter). Take the time to crop your photos if you must. If feasible, take all 12 photos that eBay offers free.

Disclose any flaws or issues with an item within the Condition portion of your listing as well as in the Item Description. Failing to do so most likely will result in a return and negative feedback.

Give great customer service: Keep emotions in check when dealing with disgruntled buyers or sarcastic messages from potential buyers. Successful business owners offer excellent customer service, and you, as an eBay business owner, should adopt the same high standards. When a customer is dissatisfied, be courteous and as helpful as you can be to resolve any issues. There will always be the occasional disgruntled, angry, unhappy person out there who will cross your path. Don’t take it personally! Communicate with your buyer to resolve any issues in a professional manner and do your best to rectify any problems. If there is no pleasing the buyer, don’t argue, just stop communicating and ask eBay to step in to help resolve issues. Be professional and to the point with eBay, offering the pertinent information, and not whining and complaining about an unreasonable buyer. More than likely you will come out a winner. And if not, just chalk it up a battle lost in the greater war and move on.

Get acquainted with shipping methods and pricing: The weight and size of an item will determine the correct shipping method. eBay will allow you to compare the rates and methods when it is time to ship, but it is wise to learn beforehand so you can list properly and ship out correctly. You do not want to miscalculate the shipping costs, which can hurt your buyer or you. Keep an updated chart of USPS as well as FedEx shipping rates handy and stay abreast of rate changes, as they inevitably will change.

Ship on time: This is crucial to maintain good standing with eBay and with your buyers.

Offer international shipping: A good percentage of sales are international sales and should not be overlooked. eBay offers an easy way to do this through their Global Shipping Program (GSP).

Ship the correct item: Check items that are going out to make sure you are shipping to the correct person. Shipping mistakes can be prevented by taking the time to organize your workspace and method. Remember, unhappy customer = negative feedback!

Excellent customer service will guarantee good feedback: Your eBay rating and its subsequent benefits are dependent on getting good feedback from your customers. Many eBay shoppers decide whether to buy from a seller based on the number of positive feedbacks. Remembering to give feedback when you purchase on eBay (and you should) may encourage a seller to return the favor. This is a great way to boost your presence on eBay in the beginning and show potential customers that you have experience.

Have an inventory system: You may think in the beginning you don’t need an organized system for your items, but if you plan on growing your business, it is wise to start out with a workable method to retrieve your items and thus prevent pulling your hair out down the road. You will be glad you did! BigCommerce is one of the only ecommerce platforms to allow for this. You can buy one of their cheapest plans to start out, manage inventory on their backend and push products to eBay through their free Channel Manager. All analytics and sales will be tracked, as well as inventory. This also allows you to easily expand your eBay sales to your own storefront in the future as you grow.

Know your rights (and the rules!): Intellectual property rights such as trademark, copyright and/or other legal rights are respected by eBay, and known as the Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) Program. An owner of such a right may inform eBay of an infraction and have your listing removed if indeed there is validity in their claim. eBay will contact you and give you the opportunity to email the owner if you have questions or concerns. Be aware that if too many trademark infractions occur, you will risk having your account suspended. eBay’s program helps to protect its buyers and sellers from transactions involving counterfeit or unauthorized items. Familiarize yourself with the companies who participate in this program as outlined on eBay’s website. A couple of prohibited terms that come to mind that most of us consider commonplace are “Velcro” and “Onesie.” Although items that have Velcro fasteners and one-piece baby clothes and adult PJs are allowed to be sold, the trademarked search terms CANNOT be used in your title.

Do your research: How do you determine whether or not an item is worth selling and how much to sell it for? Obviously, you want to have as little investment in an item as possible and sell for the highest amount the market will allow. To get a good idea of how to price your item, you will need to do your research. Don’t make the mistake of looking at just the items listed for sale. Anyone can place any price on any item, so to get an accurate and realistic amount to price for the item you are researching, you will need to search only those items that actually have sold. You will soon see a range of prices for which you can realistically expect to sell your item. To sell fast, price at the lower end of the previously sold items. If you are willing and able to wait a bit for your item to sell, you can price at the higher end of the spectrum.

Grow a profitable eBay business: Be willing to do the research and open your mind to the many possibilities for profit. Become knowledgeable about the things that you like to sell first, but don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone to grow and expand as time goes on. Keep your eyes open for good finds and remember to check your list.

I enjoy spending a couple of hours a week just researching recently sold brands, then doing further research on a category or one or more brands that I am curious about. Here is how I do it:

When I’m out sourcing (shopping for items to resell) and I see an item that I think is unusual or for some reason it causes me to take a second look, I will take out my phone and do a quick search for that item (either by brand or by general description).

Then I can decide whether to purchase this item.

Often, I just take pictures of items (especially the brand, model number, etc) that I will research later at home and add that to my list for future reference.

If you are so inclined, you may do further searches on Google or go onto other selling platforms to find comparables, or you can learn from websites that provide history or other interesting and important details and facts about your search.

Valuable information is at your fingertips!

Final Word

I would like to stress how rewarding it can be to actually enjoy selling.

The element of sheer pleasure can be the catalyst of your success –– the impetus that keeps you motivated to do the work, the kind of work that doesn’t feel like a job!

If you delight in learning, researching and treasure hunting, you can grow big and thrive in the eBay world. A successful eBay seller is a seller whose interests can be integrated into their business.

From experience, I can say I get super excited about shipping items out to buyers when it is an item that I have a fondness for, and there is nothing more boring to me than shipping out items that I know nothing about and have no interest in.

I know, I know –– it can also be exhilarating when an item sells for a heap of money –– even one you would never buy for yourself. However, it is important to note that shopping for, listing and shipping things that are thrilling and interesting to you has its own rewards.

On the other hand, to grow as an eBay seller, you must be willing to stretch outside your area of expertise, expand your knowledge, hone your skills and be motivated to prosper!

Selling on eBay requires work, but it doesn’t have to be a job. Here’s to making it your passion!

Want more insights like this?

We’re on a mission to provide businesses like yours marketing and sales tips, tricks and industry leading knowledge to build the next house-hold name brand. Don’t miss a post. Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Becki O’Hara recently retired from the workforce with the intention of starting her own eBay business which has steadily grown over a short period of time. With an insatiable desire for knowledge and determination to succeed, she devoured as much information from as many sources available to her to implement her plan to grow a successful eBay store. It became apparent that more in-depth research would be a valuable asset, so she along with her son, Kent Hamilton, put their heads together and developed an eBay tool, ProductGenie to aid in her quest to find the best selling products along with the most sought after brands as well as useful statistics that would give her a competitive edge selling on eBay. She enjoys the freedom afforded her by a thriving eBay business which allows her more time with her husband, 3 sons, and 10 grandchildren.